scientific study

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Cosmic Mystery: Why Is the Sun So Round?

It's one of the roundest objects ever measured

(Newser) - The sun is round... too round, say scientists. The giant star that bathes us in light is one of the most perfectly round objects ever measured. If it were shrunk to the size of a beach ball, the difference between the sun's widest and thinnest diameters would be slighter...

Stomach Sleepers Have Sexier Dreams
Stomach Sleepers
Have Sexier Dreams
study says
Aug 10, 2012 3:21 PM CDT

Stomach Sleepers Have Sexier Dreams

At least according to Hong Kong researchers

(Newser) - Snoozing on your stomach may increase dreams about sex, says a new study. Hong Kong researchers surveyed 670 students, collecting data about sleep postures and dream content and found that stomach sleepers reported more erotic dreams than anyone else. They also described more feelings of "persecution," "being...

Earliest Matches Found at Dig Site

Stone and clay relics in Israel are 8,000 years old

(Newser) - Archaelogists say a set of peculiar, ancient artifacts might just be the earliest known matches. The cylindrical objects, fashioned from stone and clay, date back nearly 8,000 years. At first, scientists thought they were phallic cultural symbols, but then a group of Israeli researchers noticed a striking similarity to...

Fear of Social Rejection Causes Social Rejection

Paranoid behavior is self-fulfilling, says study

(Newser) - Being paranoid that your friends hate you might cause them to hate you, according to a new study. Researchers at a Canadian business school put subjects in situations that could arose their suspicions (like, for instance, hearing co-workers laughing during lunch) then attempted to determine which subjects were inclined to...

Leg Wound? Spray On New Skin

New technique helps heal leg ulcers: study

(Newser) - How do you heal an open wound? Try spray-on skin. US and Canadian scientists have developed a new technique that entails spraying a leg ulcer with a layer of donated skin cells and blood-clotting proteins, reports BBC . The researchers tested the spray on 228 people with the hard-to-treat leg wounds...

Mild Mental Illness Increases Death Risk
 Mild Mental Illness 
 Increases Death Risk 
study says
Aug 1, 2012 5:34 PM CDT

Mild Mental Illness Increases Death Risk

Low-level disorders raise it by 16%, says study

(Newser) - In the largest study of its kind, scientists found that mild mental illness, including low-level anxiety and depression, increases the chance of an early death, reports the BBC . British scientists analyzed 68,000 people in England who died prematurely from conditions such as heart disease and cancer and found that...

America's Worst Airport for Spreading Disease Is ...

... New York's JFK, scientists say

(Newser) - Which US airport is most likely to spread an infectious disease during an epidemic? This won't surprise New Yorkers: It's JFK. But its top ranking has nothing to do with dirtiness, reports the New York Daily News . MIT scientists who analyzed 40 of the biggest US airports compared...

Elderly Termites Grow Suicide Backpacks
 Elderly Termites 
 Grow Suicide 
 Backpacks 
weird science
Jul 27, 2012 4:58 PM CDT

Elderly Termites Grow Suicide Backpacks

... and then explode them when enemies invade

(Newser) - Some termites grow up to be suicide bombers. Researchers observing the termite species Neocapritermes taracua found that certain workers, when they became elderly, grew a pair of dark blue spots between their abdomen and torso. When invaders raided their colony, these aging workers bit the intruders and then exploded the...

Dieting Women Should Keep a Food Log
 
 Dieting Women 
 Should Keep 
 a Food Log 
study says
Jul 13, 2012 3:31 PM CDT

Dieting Women Should Keep a Food Log

And don't skip meals or eat out for lunch, study says

(Newser) - In a new study, scientists encourage three tips for female dieters: keep a food log, don't skip meals, and don't go out for lunch. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center analyzed the year-long dieting habits of 123 overweight post-menopausal women and found that those who stuck...

Those Who Quit Smoking Usually Gain 10 Pounds

Analysis finds higher-than-expected figure

(Newser) - Congrats on quitting smoking… but beware of cupcakes. A new study shows ex-smokers typically gain 9 to 11 pounds within 12 months of quitting, reports Medical News Today . That's higher than previous estimates, but the researchers also make it very clear: The big benefits of quitting cigarettes far outweigh...

Men Have More Bacteria in Their Offices: Study

Though it could just be because they're bigger

(Newser) - If you're a guy, chances are your office is swarming with microbial coworkers. OK, it's actually probably true for women as well, but a new study has found that on average, men have 10% to 20% more bacteria in their offices, the New York Times reports. "It...

Aspirin May Help Prevent Skin Cancer
 Aspirin May Help 
 Prevent Skin Cancer 
study says
May 30, 2012 4:25 PM CDT

Aspirin May Help Prevent Skin Cancer

Research shows dropoff of up to 15%

(Newser) - Aspirin and other similar painkillers may ward off skin cancer, according to new research. About 20 years of skin cancer data in Denmark show that people who had taken NSAIDs—nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers—were 15% less likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 13% less likely to have malignant melanoma,...

California Students Eating Less Junk Food
California Students Eating Less Junk Food
study says
May 11, 2012 4:12 PM CDT

California Students Eating Less Junk Food

State laws making a difference, says study

(Newser) - Why do teens in California consume fewer calories a day than young people in other states? It's because they snack less when at school, a new study finds, and they snack less because state laws have curbed the sale of junk food and banned the sale of soda and...

Unnatural Sleep Schedules Can Make You Fat

People who disrupt biological clocks have higher BMIs

(Newser) - Your alarm clock could be making you flabby, suggests new research. People who force themselves to maintain schedules that are different from their natural sleep routines are more likely to put on the pounds, reports LiveScience . Researchers collected data from more than 65,000 Europeans and found that for every...

Mars Once Had Earth-Like Oceans
 Mars Once Had 
 Earth-Like Oceans 
study says
May 7, 2012 7:34 PM CDT

Mars Once Had Earth-Like Oceans

Red planet 'was at least transiently water': Prof. Josef Dufek

(Newser) - A far denser atmosphere may have allowed Earth-like oceans to flourish on Mars billions of years ago, the Telegraph reports. Analyzing data from the Mars rover Spirit, Professor Josef Dufek of Georgia Tech University concluded that the planet's atmosphere was once 20 times denser—perfect for harboring lots of...

Islanders' Blond Hair Is Genetic Quirk

It comes from a gene mutation, not Europeans

(Newser) - A peculiar pairing of dark skin and blond hair in the native population of the Solomon Islands is due to a unique gene and not, as previously thought, the intermingling of Europeans with the inhabitants, finds a new study. About 5 to 10% of the indigenous peoples on the islands...

Study Made Bird Flu More Contagious

Report finally out, despite government terrorism fears

(Newser) - The journal Nature has published a controversial paper describing how University of Wisconsin scientists created an airborne strain of H5N1—aka "bird flu"—that was transmissible in mammals. A federal panel had asked Nature not to publish the study, and a similar one from a Dutch virologist, fearing...

15M Preemies Born Every Year
In US, 1 in 8 Births
Are Premature
May 2, 2012 6:32 PM CDT

In US, 1 in 8 Births Are Premature

Worldwide, about 1M too-soon babies die each year

(Newser) - About 15 million premature babies are born every year—more than 1 in 10 of the world's births and a bigger problem than previously believed, according to the first country-by-country estimates of this obstetric epidemic. The startling toll: 1.1 million of these fragile newborns die as a result,...

Scientists Zero In on Red Wine&#39;s Health Secrets
Scientists Zero In on 
Red Wine's Health Secrets
study says
May 2, 2012 5:51 PM CDT

Scientists Zero In on Red Wine's Health Secrets

Resveratrol boosts cell power, says study

(Newser) - Scientists have unlocked the mystery of a special ingredient in red wine that could increase lifespan and promote health in humans. The organic compound resveratrol aids the body by jump-starting the activity of mitochondria—the power suppliers of cells, reports the Daily Mail . Resveratrol, which occurs naturally in red wine,...

Smoking While Pregnant May Raise Autism Risk

Study sees link with some forms of the disorder

(Newser) - If any expectant mom needed yet more evidence that smoking is a bad idea, here it is: Doing so during pregnancy raises the risk of having a child with Asperger's or another kind of autism, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from about 630,000 kids born in...

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